The Organisation

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls.

We believe in the power and potential of every child. But this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it’s girls who are most affected.

Working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children.

We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood. And we enable children to prepare for – and respond to – crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge.

We have been building powerful partnerships for children for over 85 years, and are now active in more than 80 countries.

ROLE PURPOSE

Working in 54 developing countries across Africa, Asia and the Americas, with a total annual budget of approximately Euros 1 billion, Plan International’s stated Global Strategic Goal is to reach 200 million girls, particularly those living in fragile contexts, fighting injustice or facing crisis, with high-quality programmes that deliver long-lasting benefits.

The Government of Liberia, through the Liberian Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection (MGCSP) is implementing the Liberia Women Empowerment Project (LWEP) (P173677) with financing from the International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank Group ($44.60 million). The LWEP aims to improve social and livelihood services for women and girls in targeted communities, foster positive social norms, and strengthen the government's capacity to advance women and girls’ empowerment through a “whole community” approach targeting multiple actors and levels. The World Bank views this project as creating a platform for the empowerment of women where policy dialogue happens, evidence of what works is produced and disseminated, and partnerships are strengthened. The project will be implemented by the Liberian Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection (MGCSP).

Plan International is seeking to be the Lead Service Provider for components 1,2 & 3 of this project under the supervision of the Project Management Unit (PMU) of the MGCSP. We are seeking an experienced and dynamic Development Project Manager to join our team. The successful candidate will play a crucial role in managing and implementing projects focused on international aid and development across Africa. The project manager is responsible for the design, planning and successful delivery of gender transformative projects and at every stage of the project management cycle in line with donor requirements and Plan International minimum standards and best practices. The project manager/team leader will be responsible for effective project management and quality delivery.

Dimensions of the Role

The project manager is responsible for the overall management of projects, from project initiation to the project closure:

1. Overall Project Management:
   • The project manager oversees the entire project lifecycle, from initiation to closure.
   • Directly manages the project team, ensuring they receive necessary support, guidance, and information to execute the project to high standards.
   • Coordinates with other functions to ensure the project team performs as required in a timely manner.
   • Coordinates the Consortium most especially the governance structures involving the stakeholders/consortium partners to ensure that issues identified are escalated for action
   • Engages with Government and other external stakeholders
   • Coordinates, prepares and submits quality Project Narrative and Financial Reports to the donor
   • Acts as the budget holder, directly managing the project budget and monitoring expenditures.
   • Collaborates with partner(s) to monitor and track project outcomes, outputs, and activities.
     1. Country-Level Workplans and Training:
        • Leads the preparation of country-level workplans and training plans.
        • Works in collaboration with the PMU (Project Management Unit) and follows the Project Implementation Manual (PIM).
          1. National-Level Responsibilities:
             • Lead and manage the association members, monitoring their performance and ensuring timely delivery of quality outputs
             • Monitors project budgets and expenditures at the national level, making sound decisions.
               • Addresses challenges related to all project activities at the national level.
               • Implements the ESF and the GRM (Gender-Responsive Management) at the national level.
               • Monitors and measures results, ensuring accurate data entry into the Management Information System (MIS) for county activities.
                 1. Effective Communication and Systems Update:
                    • Communicates project progress, issues, and proposed solutions to the country management/leadership team (CM/LT).
                    • Ensures timely updates to organizational systems (such as SAP/YODA).

                      Accountabilities

                      Project Start-up

                      • In collaboration with partner(s), establishes or confirms project governance (roles & responsibilities, project tolerances and change control mechanisms).
                      • Lead the preparation of country-level workplans and training plans for the deployment of country level staff and the implementation of project activities and components in collaboration with the PMU and the Project Implementation Manual (PIM)
                      • In collaboration with the partner(s) and in consultation with relevant departments, develops a comprehensive detailed implementation plan including as a minimum the implementation plan, the risk register, the issue log, the procurement plan and schedule, the HR plan, the M&E indicator matrix and the project and partner budgets.

                        Project implementation phase

                        • Leads project team to implement project activities as agreed in the project documents, frameworks and timeframes.
                        • Coordinates with other departments to ensure the project receives the required technical supports and resources to achieve its objectives on time.
                        • Jointly with the partner(s), oversees and manages the delivery, monitoring and evaluation of the project in collaboration with the team, by analysing information and comparing it with the objectives, and schedules to monitor progression, early detection of deviations and proposed corrections.
                        • Responsible for the day-to-day management and implementation of the project by optimising the use of logistical, financial and human resources, in line with Plan International standards and policies.
                        • Provides reporting to the PUM, HoP, BDM and government on project’s evolution and propose corrections if needed.
                        • In collaboration with the partner(s,) monitors and manages the risks around the project, documenting the situation and analysing the consequences.

                          Project transition and closure phase

                          • Jointly with the partner(s,) reviews the achievement of objectives and deliverables.
                          • Ensures all project activities are finalised, procurements are completed, all payments are done and project staff are either transferred to other projects or contracts are terminated in compliance with all the specific Plan guidelines, donor policies and local laws.